The Science behind Cellular Amplifiers Simplified

on February 27, 2014

Amplifiers are being used everywhere in
this age. But how many of the users truly understand what an amplifier is, and
how it does what it does? Pretty much no one bothers looking up such
information since the presumption is that it’s all too technical. Well you
wouldn’t be far off in this case. The aim of this post is to explain how
amplifiers work, in a manner simple enough that even a layman can understand.
We are going to focus on cellphone amplifiers in particular though.

The Bare Basics

Let’s start with the actual definition of
an amplifier. We use several amplifiers on a daily basis, yet most of us will
be unable to explain what an amplifier is or what it does. In the most basic
terms, an amplifier is an electronic device that boosts the power of an input
signal. The amplifier takes power from a power supply and moulds it to match
the shape of the input signal, albeit with a higher amplitude. The level of
amplification of the input signal depends upon the power of the amplifier. The
ratio between the input signal’s strength and the amplified signal’s strength
is called ‘gain’. The higher the gain, the more powerful an amplifier is.

Cellphone Signal Amplifier

For example, when cellphone amplifiers are
considered, the input signal is the one that the phone receives from the
cellular tower. A cellphone amplifier boosts that signal to higher levels,
resulting in improved signal reception. Once you receive boosted signal
reception, call quality increases, data speeds are faster, dropped calls are
reduced, etc. The benefits of a cellphone signal amplifier are considerable.
Within the United States, various radio frequencies are used by cellular
networks, thus choosing the right amplifier requires some understanding of how
they work. That’s what we’re here for!

Why are Signals Weak?

One might wonder why the cellphone signals
are weak in the first place. If cell phones catch signals and cellular towers
broadcast them, there really shouldn’t be any need of amplifiers. Well, one
would be right in asking such a question. While cellular networks are found on
every corner nowadays, there are still several rural and sub-urban areas that
do not have cellular towers from a particular carrier nearby. This results in
weak signals for users of that particular telecom carrier. In metropolitan
cities, cellular signal is often weak due to man-made obstructions like
skyscrapers, tunnels, and bridges. Natural situations like storms also disrupt
signals resulting in weaker signal reception.

How is the Signal Boosted?

Contrary to the workings of most other
amplifiers, cellphone signal amplifiers do not form a new amplified signal.
Instead, it repeats the original signal that is initially broadcast from
cellular towers, after boosting it. Thus, cellular signal boosters are often
referred to as ‘repeaters’.

The primary difference between cellphone
amplifiers and regular amplifier is that, a boosted cellular signal is not
created, but enhanced. A standard cellphone signal boosters consists of three
main units: an outside antenna that catches signals from the cellular tower; an
amplifier which receives the signal from the outside antenna and enhances it;
and an inside antenna that broadcasts the boosted signal to your phone. This
setup is not fixed in stone though, and can be modified to a large extent to
fit customization and fine-tuning needs. Various accessories can be connected
to the base 3-unit system to provide further amplification and control
amplifier gain. Additional accessories are also often needed when going for
large-scale boosting operations or vehicles with zero signal-loss tolerance,
like ambulances.

Risks and Responsibility

As previously discussed, ‘gain’ is the
ratio of the input signal strength and the boosted signal strength. One might
think that the higher the gain, the better the amplifier; but this is only true
to a certain extent. First off, using an amplifier that has a higher gain than
you require is a waste of resources. This grants you no additional benefit. Secondly,
if a cellphone amplifier has too much gain and is operating in relatively close
proximity, it can overload the cellular tower. Once this happens, there could
be severe consequences resulting in damage to the entire tower.

Currently, there are barely any laws that
regulate amplifier gain; thus it is our, that is the consumer’s, responsibility
to keep amplifier gain in check. To reduce unwanted gain, attenuation is
important. This refers to the opposite of gain, that is, loss. Loss is
essentially a reduction of signal strength and can be provided using various
connectors and crimps. More advanced amplifiers often include components that
can add loss to the signal on demand.

Amplifiers from obscure brands often come
with exceptionally high gain in order to provide a more powerful amplifier. In
addition to the risk of the cellular tower being damaged, radio frequencies
that are broadcast from such an overly powerful amplifier can interfere with
the emergency radio frequencies. Thus, to avoid such risks, it is always
recommended to go with a reputable amplifier manufacturer.

The risks are not only to outside entities,
but can be to your own cellphone signal boosting system as well. A common
reason of amplifier system mishaps is that the outside and inside antenna is
placed too close together. This results in the radio frequencies between the
antennas to interfere with each other, ultimately causing a radio frequency
loop. This leads to the entire system breaking down altogether.

Bottom-line

Without delving into the major technical
details, here we conclude our possibly-a-tad-boring treatise on cellphone
signal amplifiers. We hope that the reader extracts the necessary information
from this post and goes on to make informed decisions regarding cellphone signal
boosters. When considering a purchase decision, one needs to keep cellphone
compatibility in mind, first and foremost. Safety is a close second.

To avoid risks and mishaps, one should
consider buying amplifiers from reputable brands. In the US market, Wilson
Electronics is possibly the most trusted manufacturer of cellphone signal
amplifiers. All amplifiers from Wilson Electronics come with three lights: red,
indicating risk of signal oscillation; orange, signifying risk of overload; and
green which lets one know that everything is working as it should. One can’t go
wrong with such amps!